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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The château de Guermantes, located in Gouvernes in Seine-et-Marne, is built in the early seventeenth century by Pierre Viole, whose family has owned the fief since the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1665, his descendant Claude inherited, before the estate was acquired in 1698 by Paulin Pondre, Grand Audiencier de France. The latter, one of the most influential financiers under Louis XIV, undertook ambitious works there, using Jules Hardouin-Mansart for the perrons and André Le Nôtre for the gardens, including an imposing mirror d ́eau. The 31-metre gallery, decorated with panelling and painted canvas inspired by the Versailles Glaces Gallery, bears witness to this fascination.

In 1756, a fire destroyed the library of the castle. In the 19th century, the estate passed into the hands of the Pondre de Guermantes family, including Émilie Ernestine, Countess Picot de Dampierre, known for his caustic spirit. The castle then houses a rare suite of 17th century tapestries, inspired by Simon Vouet, before being auctioned in 1917. In 1920, banker Maurice Hottinguer saved the area of destruction, the restaurant and passed it on to his son Pierre in 1942. During World War II, Blanche Hottinguer intervened to avoid its demolition by German troops.

The castle, classified as a historical monument in 1944 and 1970, inspires Marcel Proust for his work Looking for lost time, although it is never directly mentioned. Reborn in 2008, it is now transformed into a seminar centre and is not open to the public. Its history reflects the fascists of financial aristocracy under the Old Regime, as well as the vagaries of its preservation throughout the centuries.

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